The present invention generally relates to miniaturized delivery devices and related methods, and more specifically to liquid delivery devices with hydrophobic surfaces and related methodologies.
Micro-scale delivery devices can be useful in a variety of applications. Such delivery devices can include an array of micro-scale reservoirs filled with small amounts of material such as liquids or powders. The reservoirs are sealed with material and can provide controlled delivery of the material, for example, by rupture or melting of a metal membrane. Such micro-scale delivery devices can provide independent and controlled release of materials in individual reservoirs and can, for example, be useful in drug delivery applications.
In some applications, achieving the desired size of the micro-scale delivery device can place severe constraints on energy storage and power delivery. For example, smaller sizes of implantable and wearable drug delivery devices can be preferred for patient comfort and privacy. Reservoir release of the material, however, requires energy and, moreover, can be subject to major sources of energy loss through thermal conduction within the device structure. Reservoirs containing liquids, for instance, can experience undesirably high thermal conduction. Thus, there remains a need to minimize energy required for reservoir release.